


Off of the Ground

by bonafidereader



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ballet, M/M, Minor Character Death, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, minor character with terminal illness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-05-29 01:19:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6353236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonafidereader/pseuds/bonafidereader
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cries of outrage ran throughout the studio and Damen sympathized completely. The de Vere Classical Ballet Company had been a rival of Damen’s own for the past twenty years, if not more. They were a bunch of stuck up snobs who believed that they were better than the dancers at Ios because they knew every piece Marius Petipa had ever choreographed. The idea of pairing up with them was awful, to say the least, and would no doubt end up a disaster. </p><p>An extensive ballet au</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> It's finally here!!! Please leave comments and I love getting constructive feedback. Thank you for reading and if you wanna chat more extensively then come and find me on tumblr

“Before you go, there is something we all need to talk about.” Damen stopped moving towards the studio door along with everyone else. The companies head choreographer, Makedon, was standing in front of all the dancers with a smirk on his lips.

“You know what this is about?” Damen’s friend, Pallas whispered.

“Hell if I do,” Damen told him.

Pallas snorted and looked back up at Makedon while Damen turned to hide a small smile. He got why Pallas would think he knew why was going on – just because his families company had major investments in the ballet didn’t mean he knew every thing. Most of the time.

He had no clue what was going this time, no matter what anyone thought, so it was a bit of a surprise when Makedon said, “We will be pairing up with the de Vere company for this seasons show.”

Cries of outrage ran throughout the studio and Damen sympathized completely. The de Vere Classical Ballet Company had been a rival of Damen’s own for the past twenty years, if not more. They were a bunch of stuck up snobs who believed that they were better than the dancers at Ios because they knew every piece Marius Petipa had ever choreographed. The idea of pairing up with them was awful, to say the least, and would no doubt end up a disaster.

“Settle down, settle down,” Makedon yelled. “Now, I know that our companies don’t exactly have a good history but for the sake of trying as well as what I believe will be a truly wonderful outcome, I’m asking you all too try.”

“Yeah, because you’ve always been so accommodating of de Vere, right Makedon?” a voice called from the back of the room.

Everyone started to laugh as Makedon shot a dark look at them all.

“I am a wear that I didn’t exactly hold the best reputation amongst the people at de Vere. I too was suspicious and, even after initial meetings, I don’t exactly like the director’s there. However, the show that’s been put together is quite fantastic and for the sake of the company I am willing to try.”

Damen sighed. If their choreographer was willing, then he supposed if wouldn’t be to hard. “What’s the show?” he asked.

His question quelled the grumbles of the other dancers. They may have all hated the de Vere company but all of them were dancers. If there was a show to work on, then they would listen.

“Ah, now that is a good question,” Makedon grinned. “It is something that one of de Vere’s old principal’s worked on specifically for the collaboration of our two companies. It is a contemporary love story that is meant to show emotion’s that are key to two opposing forces coming together.”

“Who’s the dancer then?” Pallas asked.

“They have asked to be kept anonymous as of now,” Makedon told him.

This seemed to park an interest in the dancers. Who at de Vere had been capable of not only convincing the heads of the two rival companies to collaborate, but to collaborate on a ballet that they’d created, and why would they want to keep their identity hidden?

“But enough about that. Tomorrow the cast list will be dropped and we will have our first meeting of two companies. I suggest you all arrive well rested and on your best behaviour.” Makedon’s wolf smile suggested otherwise.

 

Damen sighed as he entered his apartment. After the initial shock of having to work with de Vere had worn off he and Nikandros had gone for an evening run. Damen had known Nikandros since he was five and had moved from Greece to France so his mother could continue to teach at her old dance companies school and Damen had started training there around then. Nikandros had joined soon after. The two had been inseparable ever since.

They’d mainly spoken of the companies joining and how that was going to go. Nikandros was about as weary as the rest of the company and Damen couldn’t blame him. De Vere, while admittedly a company full of talent, was very stuck in the old classical ways of ballet and were very unwilling to look outside those rigid borders. Ios was different. Yes, the dancers were trained classically for a little while at the beginning but they were far more focused on the contemporary aspect of dance and breaking down the rigid structures that had previously been in place.

Nikandros, it seemed, was worried that the two companies would be unable to mesh their own styles, especially considering the show had been created by a dancer at de Vere. Damen had to agree. He supposed that he would just have to see what the meeting was like and try to keep an open mind in the process.

 

“You ready for today?” Damen asked Pallas upon his entrance in the dressing room.

“Oh yeah, it’s gonna be great,” Pallas rolled his eyes. “Can’t wait to put up with de Vere for the next few months. It’ll be fucking killer.”

Grinning, Damen turned away, shoving his bag into his locker and turned into the studio.

“Hey man,” Nikandros said, joining him at the barre and starting his own stretches.

Damen nodded in response and went back to his silent warm-ups. He didn’t want to be completely unprepared when the dancers from de Vere showed up.

When they did, it was quite impressive and almost intimidating.

They were dressed in typical rehearsal gear – tight pants or leggings, skirts for some of the girls, lose shirts, leg warms over ratty ballet slipper. That was all normal. It was how they carried themselves. All the women had hair yanked back and the entire company moved with a sort of syncopation that only came from years of training together.  
At the head of the pack was an older man. He must have been in his sixties and he used a cane to walk towards Makedon with an incredible air of purpose. They exchanged a few words quietly while Damen and his friends exchanged weary looks and the dancers from de Vere stared straight at the older man.

Finally, Makedon broke the silence.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is Herode Benoit. He is de Vere’s head choreographer tasked with this project.”

The man gave a small smile and nodded at his acknowledgement.

“It is a pleasure to collaborate with such a talented company on this show,” he stated. “I know for a fact that it’s creator is thrilled that the directors of your company agreed to it.

“Now, I figured I would just settle this right away. The person who created this show took part in the creation of the music and only some of the choreography. The rest has been left open. These pieces are solos, duos and trios. They wanted the music and story to come from the original dancers.

“The cast list has also already been created. The creator spent a long time watching and analyzing the people of both companies and picked who they want in each role based on previous work. Characters have names but this is a story of emotion and feeling. The coming together of two sets of ideas, emotions, people, however you chose to see it, is at the heart of this along with the love that developed there. There are two leaders in this and they will be our principal dancers. If a deeper explanation is wanted or required, I would be happy to talk to any of you at any time.”

Makedon then picked up a piece of paper and started calling out members of the corps, which made up basically everyone. Pallas was called up for the part called Ludus and Nikandros for that of Philia. A man from de Vere was called up at the name Eros and Damen couldn’t help but smirk at the way Pallas’ eye’s followed him across the room and figured that maybe he wouldn’t have such a hard time working with de Vere after all.

Damen’s named was called next. The word Pragma rang through the room like a bell. He recognized the word and nodded. Long standing love. That felt right.  
When Makedon called out Agape, Damen’s attention was caught and unweavering. The man who stepped forwards had fair skin stretched across high, regal features that looked capable of cutting glass. His blonde hair was tied up in a braid that ran down the back of his head and was tucked up at the base of his neck and his blue eyes were sever and cold. He was very attractive.

When Damen and the other man were called to speak with Herode and Makedon, the blonde looked him over with an expression of distaste and, oddly enough, something that resembled curiosity.

“Damen,” Makedon said, “you and Laurent here will be paired up as the two main roles. Congratulations boys. I believe you two will work well together.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, chapter 2!!!   
> A couple things: I made Nikandros a little (read: a lot) more supportive of Damen and his feeling for Laurent because they aren't at war. Also, the song that Damen and Laurent are dancing to during their rehersal is Laura's Murder from the Perfume soundtrack.

Makedon was proved only half right during the first week of rehearsal – Damen and Laurent got on exceptionally well so long as Damen didn’t talk, touch or make eye contact with the other man. He’d tried all three of these things at their first rehearsal without the rest of the company. Their first rehearsal had been a bit of a disaster. Damen liked to think that they were getting better. He was probably just kidding himself.

Today though, he was going to try and make a real dent in his and Laurent’s relationship, or whatever it was that they had. He’d arrived right on time, just as always, and would be ready to go by the time that Laurent and their company appointed pianist Aimeric showed up.

Damen sighed and left the dressing room for the studio that they’d sort of taken over. It was one he hadn’t used often in his days with the company but Laurent had taken a liking to it and Damen had figured that he would do anything to make the prickly man a little less, well, prickly. It was a nice enough space, Damen had to admit. The white walls and light wood floors were brightened up incredibly by the countless windows that took up a wall. The perks of being tucked at the back of the company’s studio building.

Damen was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of music coming from the studio. That was odd. He’d thought he was the only one here. The door was open slightly so he pushed it open a bit more and peaked inside. There, leaping and twisting throughout the room, was Laurent. He looked different in this moment than Damen had ever seen him although that hadn’t been much anyways. The music was light and airy and it sounded like sunlight and good, happy memories. With the way Laurent’s hair shone like spun gold from the sunlight that ran in streaks throughout the studio, as well as the almost peaceful smile on his face, Damen could almost believe that that was what he was dancing for. He looked happier than he’d ever been before in any of their past rehearsal’s.

As the music finished Damen pulled out further into the hallway again so as not to be caught watching. He had no desire to go a round with Laurent’s vicious tongue quite so early on. Waiting a few moments, he stepped back into the studio.

“You’re late,” Laurent said, not even turning his back from the stereo.

“Hello to you too,” Damen said. “And I’m not late. I get here at this time every day. It’s not my fault you showed up earlier than you normally do.”

Laurent, if possible, drew his posture even tighter than normal at the realization that he had no comeback for that. Damen grinned.

“Where’s Aimeric?”

“He won’t be joining us today or at any time in the near future I believe,” Laurent told him, finally turning around.

“Right,” Damen pondered. “And why is that?”

“Because that music from here on out is recorded and we will not require a sole pianist,” gripped Laurent. His eyes were cold and focused right on Damen as he spoke. It was almost impossible to hold his gaze without cracking under the intensity of it. Damen wasn’t sure how he’d lasted as long as he had.

“Alright,” he nodded before shedding his hoodie and sliding on his knee pads. “Let’s get going then.”

By the end of their four-hour rehearsal they had managed to choreograph, argue about the existing choreography, and re-choreograph fifty seconds of a three-minute-long piece. Those fifty seconds contained mainly shrill violins and drums with far more extensions than Damen was used to and far more touching than Laurent was used to, or so it seemed. Surprisingly enough, they had both finished seeming rather pleased. At least Damen thought his partner might be pleased considering he’d only called Damen a stumbling fool twice and the second time there wasn’t that much force behind it.

“So,” Damen ventured as they packed up. “How do you think that was?”

Laurent didn’t even look back as he walked out the door, simply saying, “Adequate.”

 

The rehearsal with the corps went less well which was hardly a surprise to anyone. The dancers from de Vere were convinced that the dancers from Ios were incapable of preforming in any way the would remotely resemble “proper dancing” as they put it. On the other side, the members from Ios were completely unwilling to compromise on the structuring of the pieces, saying that de Vere’s classical style was to stiff.

Damen, and most likely every body else, was nursing a headache by the end of it.

He and the others with titled roles as they’d nicknamed them were simply present in case they were needed to dramatically run across the stage. It was also always good to pick up some of the choreography in case someone got hurt and a replacement was needed. They spent most of the day sitting in a corner or going out for Starbucks runs when they’d all gotten so bored they just needed something to do. Well that or a caffeine boost to help them stay awake.

Some how by the end of rehearsal something had been accomplished.

 

“And God they’re all just so annoying and – “

“You realize that you’ve said that three times already, right?” Damen asked, collapsing down next to Nikandros on the couch.

“Yeah well I ran out of adjectives,” Nikandros grumbled.

“Dude, the only adjectives you’ve used to describe de Vere so far are whiney, bitchy, and annoying,” Damen told him. “I’m sure you can think of another one.”

Nikandros mumbled something under his breath as he leaned forwards for his beer.

“Anyways, how’s working with Laurent?” he asked. “That is his name, right?”

“Yeah, that’s it.” Damen chuckles, “And honestly, I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Nikandros questions incredulously. “Damen, you’ve been working with him for almost two weeks. How could you not have at least a minimal grasp on how it’s going?”

Sighing, Damen sunk back into his chair, “Every time we rehearse it’s different. Some days it goes really well, we get lot’s done, he’ll only insult me twice, you know? But the next day it’ll be an absolute nightmare. We won’t get a damn thing done and he’ll be totally bitchy the entire rehearsal.”

“Guess it doesn’t help that he’s totally your type,” Nikandros said.

“What?” Damen yelped, staring at his friend. “He is not my type.”

“Oh yeah? Bitchy, brilliant, and blonde, not to mention the fact that he’s an amazing dancer. He couldn’t be more your type if he tried.”

“I doubt he is trying,” Damen said. “I doubt he has any other feeling for me other than mild contempt.”

“Yeah well, he is from de Vere,” Nikandros agreed. “But seriously man, I’ve known you since we were kids and I know how you get. And I’m no saying it’s a good idea but if, if, you decide you want to make a move on this guy, I will support you.”

Damen suddenly felt an overwhelming love for his friend who had been there for him for years and had never once left during any of Damen’s romantic disasters with assorted people no matter what he’d thought of them or of Damen at the time. Of course Damen had always done the same for him but Nikandros was far less prone to falling for people who would break his heart or his nose.

“Thank you man,” Damen said, clapping a hand on Nikandros’ shoulder. Nikandros didn’t need to say anything, just nod, and they settled back into the couch as a sense of ease settled over the room.


End file.
